Dinner Sounds Nice
by quietlymad
Summary: After a long and arduous day, all Jack wants to do is relax at his favorite bar and drown his troubles. However, when a face from the past threatens to ruin his day even further an unexpected face comes to the rescue. Modern AU. Short one-shot.


The day had gone on for way too long in Jack's honest and exhausted opinion. It had started well enough with his morning tea and a walk around the block with his beautiful white wolf companion, a routine comfortably familiar to them both; however, it had all gone downhill from there as the day went on. When he had gotten home from the morning walk he found that the power had gone out and he had to quickly run to buy a cooler and ice to keep his food cool only to find out that the problem had been resolved when he got home, new purchases in hand. Then, because of the aforementioned fiasco he was late to the kendo class he taught in the afternoon and one of the prissy suburban moms demanded her money back for the whole day, though he had only been late by 20 minutes and had offered extra time. Now? Now he was sitting in his favorite bar attempting to merge with the smooth redwood bar in front of him as his most recent ex chatted up some brunette at the other end.

He perfectly aware that the other man knew he was there, he could see him glancing at him with a smirk every time the beautiful girl laughed at something the brutish man said. Jack avoided those green eyes like the plague, a considerably hard feat considering the bright red attention grabbing hair that framed them. Jack downed his drink in one smooth motion, reveling in the burn it provided as it moved down his chest and through his stomach, and was about to head to the bathroom to clear his head when a strong hand gripped his shoulder. He withheld a groan of displeasure and attempted to ignore the firm grip.

"Where are you going? I just got here!" The voice was deep and musical and Jack hated the way it made his heart beat just a little bit faster.

"To the restroom, excuse me." He replied as evenly as he could, attempting to shake the hand off without looking back.

Instead he was spun around coming face to face with those heartbreakingly green eyes. He couldn't help himself; he studied the man's face as if it was the stars. Pale smooth skin, flawless, save for the beautiful freckles that decorated it, strong jaw line and droopy eyes. Everything that had attracted Jack to him in the first place but now made his gut clench and his eyes sting.

"Leaving me so soon, Jack? It's been so long! C'mon let's catch up a bit."

"I do not believe 3 months to be particularly long, all things considered, James." Jack sighed but sat back in his chair and gestured for the bar tender to bring him another round.

"Aww, don't be like that, dear, I know you missed me."

Jack didn't comment and instead accepted the glass of amber liquid the bartender handed him.

"Silent treatment, huh?" The thought only seemed to make him grin wider.

"I am not entirely interested in 'catching up'. On the other hand, I am more interested in moving on." Jack sighed before sipping on his drink.

"You can't move on from this." The other man laughed huskily as he gestured to his abdomen where jack was well aware toned abs lied under his shirt.

"I believe I can."

"C'mon, let's have some fun for old time's sake." The red headed chuckled, putting his arms around the instructors waist in a way that seemed more hostile than flirty.

Jack heard the brunette James had been talking to scoff and storm out of the bar. He found no joy in it even though it had been exactly that kind of girl James had cheated on him with in the first place. No, how could he find amusement in something that he had experienced sevenfold? He gingerly tried to move the man's arms from around him, trying not to cause a scene in his favorite bar.

"No, thank you, but I am not interested." He mumbled refusing to let his frustration bleed into his voice.

"Don't lie to yourself, dear. I know your apartments just down the street. Wouldn't mind saying hello to the fluff ball either."

Jack saw red and all thoughts of a peaceful resolution began to dissipate; the reason the two had broken up had actually had nothing to do with the women James had cheated on him with. Jack had been resigned to carry that burden forever if it meant he could be with James, who at the time had been one of the most loving men Jack had ever come across. The reason they had broken up had been because of the time jack had gone home to see blood all over the living room, his beloved pet locked in his crate, which he had never done himself, and James laughing on the phone, drunk with a bloody bamboo stick in his hand.

"Do not speak of him." Jack growled lowly, though his face remained frighteningly calm.

"Or what Jack? You gonna-"

"Hey man, hands off what isn't yours."

James spun around, letting his arms fall away from the smaller man and prepared for a fight. He came face to face with an even taller man, blonde with sunglasses on, even though it must've made it impossible to see in the dim light of the bar. He faltered for a moment as he took in just how big the man was. He was at least a good four inches taller than him and looked as if he had been lifting weights since he was born. The redhead, too drunk to care in the end and confident that Jack wouldn't date another confrontational man, grinned darkly up at the other.

"Yours? Yeah right! Jackie was never one for blondes." He sneered.

"Must've made an exception for me then. Didn't ya, darlin'?" The stranger quipped back sending a sappy smile to the man in question.

Jack was confused only for a moment before he caught on. The man was trying to help him out of his increasingly worrisome situation. He would take the help this time and plot justice for his sweet wolf another day.

"Of course." Jack smiled sweetly up at the blonde and in that moment it looked as though they had been dating for months.

"Who even is this guy?" James growled rounding on the smallest of the men.

"The name's Johnny, Johnny Bravo." The man grinned running a comb through his pompadour.

Jack couldn't help but laugh a bit at that. Who was this guy? He looked like he walked out of a fifties diner! Johnny's grin widened at the sound and he moved to sit next to Jack and sling his arm around his shoulders.

"What a stupid name!" James ground out. "How long has this been going on?"

"Two months." Jack said quickly. "We had not felt the need to make it, as you called it, 'social media official' yet."

"So it only took you a month before you started spreading your legs for another man, huh?" James spat.

Jack was never one for needless violence. He had dealt with this man's abuse for years and he could sit calmly and ignore it for however long he needed to in that dingy little bar. Johnny had other ideas.

"How dare you talk to him like that, you little rat." He ground out through gritted teeth.

James stared at him in shock, he had thought Jack might have decided to pick someone who was as much of a pacifist as himself this time around and had thought nothing of the blonde. He had been painfully wrong.

"Look man, I don't want any trouble with you." He assured raising his hands up to show he meant no harm, looking very much like a dog with his tail between his legs.

"Then leave." The blonde demanded.

"Yeah man, yeah I'm gone."

The redhead quickly walked to the bartender to pay his tab and left without looking back.

Jack let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and felt his muscles begin to relax.

"Sorry, if I butted in there or somethin' but it looked like you weren't feelin' him." Johnny apologized as he moved his arm from around the other's shoulders.

"No, it was really a great help actually, thank you."

Johnny shot him a blinding smile but the two quickly lapsed into an awkward silence.

"So, uh, I seen you 'round here a time or two." Johnny managed to get out before ordering a beer.

"Oh, well, yes." Jack smiled back politely after sipping his drink. "My apartment is rather close, so I tend to come here after a difficult day at work. I do not think I have seen you here, however."

"Ah, yeah, you always looked like you were somewhere else, ya know? I'm not surprised you didn't see me. Well, I am 'cause, you know..." He trailed off and gestured to himself as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Jack chuckled over his drink.

"Yes, you are seemingly hard to miss. I suppose I do get a bit distracted when I come to this bar."

"If it has anything to do with that jerk, I get it. What a piece of work."

"You do not know the half of it."

Johnny took a large swig of his drink and clenched the bottle a little tighter as he put it back on the bar.

"Wouldn't mind hearin' more if you'd let me."

Jack looked the man up and down. He was fidgeting slightly with the label of his drink and pointedly not looking at him, face covered in a light flush.

"Like maybe we could go for dinner or like lunch or something. I just mean, I've seen you in here a lot and, well you haven't seen me but-"

"Are you trying to ask me on a date?" Jack questioned cautiously afraid of jumping to the wrong conclusion.

"Yeah, man I'm never this nervous; usually I'm a real ladies man. Or man's man. Ladies and man's man."

The blonde groaned as Jack laughed.

"Yes." The instructor smiled up at the blonde receiving a nervous grin in response. "Dinner sounds nice."


End file.
